


it's always her, and me, and you

by bellawritess



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: (a little bit. responsibly.), Alcohol, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Getting Together, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, References to Singin' in the Rain (1952), So much kissing, Tension, alex and lisa are married, but like, casual polyamory, except the yknow, lisa is the best you can't change my mind, so basically everything in this is exactly real life, takes place on the LYR tour cycle probably, this is rilex what are they gonna do. NOT kiss? get real
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:27:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29811885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellawritess/pseuds/bellawritess
Summary: Rian's no expert, but he doesn't think normal friends kiss this much.
Relationships: Alex Gaskarth/Lisa Ruocco, Rian Dawson & Lisa Gaskarth, Rian Dawson/Alex Gaskarth, background merrikat, very background - Relationship
Comments: 16
Kudos: 33





	it's always her, and me, and you

**Author's Note:**

> i sure was not expecting this to be 8k when i started writing it but. i am not in control obviously!
> 
> anyway this fic is inspired by every single picture, gif, and video of rian and alex kissing. there are so many. one can only imagine how many times they've kissed without a camera around. it got me thinking, but then i'm also At All Times thinking about how much i love alex and lisa, and this came from that. it may be the definition of casual polyamory but i think making a big deal out of romantic preferences/tendencies is boring and overrated
> 
> apologies for how much of a plot point singin in the rain became. i really did not mean for it to take over like that. if you haven't seen singin in the rain it shouldn't affect your reading experience Too much but like, i'm sorry dfkljdkmgdj and for whatever it's worth i recommend it as a movie
> 
> thanks to: sam, meghna, adri, and megs, to name a few, for letting me talk about this fic without actually talking about it <3 can't believe i kept this one like, 75% under wraps. ahh!! not enough exclamation marks in this beginning note!!!!
> 
> title from caroline by all time low, i think it's a little cursed but sam said it was okay so i'm rolling with it
> 
> tw for some alcohol
> 
> [tumblr reblog link!](https://clumsyclifford.tumblr.com/post/644599188618887168/its-always-her-and-me-and-you-bellawritess)

Rian's no expert, but he doesn't think normal friends kiss this much.

It leaves him with a lot of questions, like, _are Alex and I normal friends? Does he kiss any of his other friends this often? How far can I take this?_

One of these questions is testable — hello, ninth grade science and scientific method — so Rian, who is nothing if not a man of action, takes the initiative.

They're getting ready to go onstage, and Rian has just pulled on a shirt when Alex walks past, then backtracks.

"Hey," he says, quirking a smile and leaning towards Rian. This is how they _greet_ each other. They kiss _instead_ of checking in. What the fuck about this is normal?

So this time, Rian doesn't pull away after the usual brush of lips. This time, he curls a hand around the back of Alex's neck, keeping him in place, holding the kiss. He's curious to know how Alex will react. All of their kisses are never more than quick pecks, and this is definitely past that point.

What Alex does is: kiss back.

Because of course he does. In fact, he doesn't even hesitate. His hand flutters and then comes down on Rian's shoulder, and he returns Rian's kiss in traditional Gaskarth fashion: sweet, sincere, confident. Like they do it every day. Like they've kissed this way a hundred times before, when they never have even once.

Finally, Rian breaks it — it occurs to him that Alex is _waiting_ for him to break it, since he'd also started it — and pulls back with a smile. "Hey."

Alex only smiles serenely. "Gonna be a good show," he says. "I can feel it."

Rian can feel something, for sure, but he's not sure it has anything to do with the show.

* * *

The thing is, he still doesn't have an answer. He'd wanted to know how far he could go with it — how far he could take this…joke, this habit, this tradition, whatever it is he and Alex do — and so far all he knows is that a standard kiss isn't too far. He knows where the line _isn't_ , but that's no help. At what point will Alex back away? Does that point exist? Like, if Rian propositioned him, would he say no? Would he say yes until Rian called his bluff? Their relationship is built on silly gags, and Rian has a hard time knowing when they're being serious.

He could ask, of course. There's always that. But that would take all the excitement away, and Rian likes the excitement. Much better to just explore this scientific inquiry on his own.

He’s pondering it as the tour bus chugs along I-95 (he thinks). Ninth grade science has not stuck with him as much as he’d hoped, but he’s pretty sure scientific method usually requires a hypothesis.

"Zack," he says. Zack glances up. "Scientific method involves a hypothesis, right?"

Zack makes a face. "I don't know, yes?"

Good enough. "Cool. Thanks."

Looking slightly confused, Zack nods and returns to his book.

Okay. Fine. Hypothesis: Alex will pull away if Rian tries to French kiss him. That has to cross a line. Friendly kissing is one thing, but making out has to be beyond the realm of what's excusable between friends. Especially when one of them is married. 

( _Why are you so obsessed with pushing the limits?_ says a very annoying voice in Rian's head. Rian ignores it.)

He stays in the front of the bus, mostly thinking about kissing Alex but, like, in a scientific way, long enough that Zack decides to turn in. Rian tries to trip him as he leaves and Zack just steps over his foot and flips him off behind his back.

"Goodnight," Rian says to his retreating form, and Zack echoes it back to him as he clambers into his bunk and pulls the curtain shut.

Conveniently, Alex pads out from the back lounge at the same time.

"'Night, Zack," he says, grinning at Zack. When he sees Rian, his face lights up. "You're still awake?"

"Sleeping with my eyes open. Jack threatened to fill my bed with Cheerios tonight because I wouldn't let him have any of my coffee this morning and I'm too nervous to check if he actually did it."

"You made the right call," Alex says, shuffling past Rian to the kitchen. "About the coffee. I don't know who coked him up, but he was literally bouncing off the walls earlier."

"Exactly." Rian stands up and follows Alex's path to the kitchen, where he leans against the counter, hands in his pockets. "You making tea?"

"Yeah, you want some?"

Rian shakes his head. "Not worth the risk of spilling it all over myself."

"Takes practice, that's all," Alex says, chuckling as he sets the water to boil. "I'm very experienced in the art of drinking hot beverages on unstable vehicles."

Without apparent warning, he moves towards Rian, and only years of experience tell Rian that Alex intends to kiss him. The plane of his index finger tilts Rian's chin up enough for their lips to meet, and Rian instinctively grabs him around the waist, pulling him in before Alex can move away. Just like last time, Alex rolls with it like this is how they always act. He angles his head slightly, holding Rian's face like it's a fragile thing; Rian turns his head the other way, and _oh,_ now they're kissing.

They've _definitely_ never done this before. Rian would have remembered. He's not likely to forget this kiss anytime soon. The original goal almost slips his mind in the feeling of kissing Alex, or more accurately being kissed by Alex. It returns with a vengeance when Alex's tongue teases over Rian's bottom lip and Rian opens his mouth before he's really even processed what's happening.

They're very much making out in the tour bus kitchen. The counter is starting to dig into Rian's spine. It will probably leave a mark. Alex has Rian _backed against the counter_ and his tongue is in Rian's mouth and his hands are on Rian's face and holy shit, they could've been kissing this way _all this time?_

The click of the kettle breaks them apart. Rian tries not to look like he's catching his breath, even though he absolutely is. Should he say something? Are they going to _address this?_

Alex brushes a last kiss to Rian's lips, this one reminiscent of the many they've exchanged in the past years. "Sure you don't want tea?" he murmurs.

So that's a _no_ on addressing it.

"Positive," Rian says, patting Alex's hoodie-clad chest. "Enjoy your second-degree burns."

Alex laughs quietly and moves away to go put together his drink. "I will. Immensely. Hey, at last I can start suffering and write that symphony."

“Symphony?”

Alex shoots him a look. “God, would it kill you to watch _any_ movies? Ever?” When Rian’s confusion doesn’t clear: “ _Singin’ in the Rain_ , come on.”

“Oh, pfft. I’m not a musicals guy, Al, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“ _Tell_ me that you’ll let me make you watch _Singin’ in the Rain,_ ” Alex says, stirring his mug as he pours the hot water in. “It’s not fantasy, it’s not sci-fi, it’s just a good old-fashioned 50s movie musical.”

“I’m trying to stay hip with the kids,” Rian says. “You’re the reason we’re being replaced by all these new bands. You make us seem so dated, it’s terrible for our image.”

"You're the only one here!"

"Me and my five hundred thousand Instagram followers."

"My Instagram followers eat your Instagram followers for breakfast, bitch. And don’t change the subject.” Alex makes a face at him. “I bet you’ll like it, you know. It’s got lots of cool dance numbers, great soundtrack, Gene Kelly and, uh, what’s her name?” He snaps. “Debbie Reynolds.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“Sometimes I wonder how we’re from the same generation,” says Alex as he steeps his tea. 

Rian scoffs. “You’re talking to me about movies that were popular when my parents were teenagers and _I’m_ the one from the wrong generation?”

Alex ignores him. “You’ll at least like Cosmo, he’s hilarious.” He does jazz hands, singing, “ _Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh…_ ” 

“It’s not my thing,” Rian insists.

"You're like the one curmudgeonly grandpa who hates fun," Alex says judgmentally. Which Rian thinks is a kind of weird thing to say considering they just made out. "C’mon, it’s retro to like old movie musicals."

"A 50s movie isn't retro," says Rian. "It's just old."

"Keep telling yourself that, gramps.”

Rian shakes his head. "I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight," Alex says, turning his head to afford Rian a very broad smile. "Dream of me. _All I do is dream of you the whole night through…_ "

Most likely another _Singin’ in the Rain_ reference that Rian doesn’t get. He has a feeling he’s going to end up watching this movie whether he likes it or not. "Yeah, yeah," he says. "Love you."

"Love you!"

The phantom feeling of the counter cutting into Rian's back lingers even as he gets into his bunk and falls asleep. He does dream of Alex, though he's pretty sure his dream would have made even Gene Kelly blush.

* * *

_Conclusion_ , Rian thinks the following morning, once the events of the previous night have really solidified in his mind. _If I try to French kiss Alex, he will just French kiss me first._

Which only really leaves him with more questions than ever.

* * *

“Hey,” Lisa says when Rian’s face comes into view. “Finally, the star of the show.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Rian says, squishing himself between Alex and the armrest and leaning into the frame. Alex’s protest of _I’m your husband!_ is completely ignored. “How’s it hangin’, Lis? I miss you lots.”

“Aw, Ri,” Lisa coos, grinning. “You know I miss you more.”

“I’m _right_ here, you know,” Alex says.

Rian shushes him. “Not now. I’m talking to Lisa.” 

Alex laughs and hands his phone to Rian. “Fine. I need to go to the bathroom anyway. Don’t talk shit about me.”

“All we ever do is talk shit about you, babe,” Lisa says. Alex rolls his eyes and hoists himself off the couch towards the bathroom.

“So how you been?” Rian asks. A smile spreads like butter over Lisa’s face, gleaming teeth and crinkling eyes and all, as she launches into a tale about the horses. Lisa is among Rian’s top ten favorite people in the world. Possibly top five. It helps that he's known and loved her since high school; it also helps to see how good she is for Alex. As co-president of the Alex Gaskarth Fan Club, Rian's always thinking about that kind of thing.

Lisa, however, is an excellent co-president. Case in point: "Taking care of our boy out there?"

Rian nods dutifully. "You know I always am."

Lisa smiles. Between the two of them, Colgate is truly missing out on prime marketing content. Anyone who says he has the world's greatest smile has clearly never seen Lisa's. "And are you taking care of yourself?"

"Always am," Rian says again, this time a little less truthfully. "Trying to," he amends, since he would rather boil himself alive than lie to Lisa. "I am getting the requisite six hours of sleep."

"Rian," Lisa clucks disapprovingly.

"That was a joke. Mostly. I sleep enough." Mostly.

The look on Lisa's face is skeptical. "Mhm.”

Alex returns, collapsing on the couch with gusto. "Okay," he says, holding out a hand. "Please return my wife to me."

Rian passes the phone along, though he hasn't been dismissed and will not leave until he is. These are two of his favorite people on the planet. He's pretty sure they won't mind if he hangs around a little longer.

Sure, he could call Lisa on his own — and he probably will — but this way he gets Alex, too.

"Hey, you know what I learned the other day?" Alex tells Lisa, side-eyeing Rian. "Rian hasn't seen _Singin' in the Rain._ "

Rian does a double-take. The conversation about the movie had been on the heels of a much less family-friendly interaction. And holy shit, Rian had forgotten about it. All he's done is think about the kiss, not the exchange they’d had after.

Lisa is appalled. " _What?_ Come on, that's like the best movie musical out there."

"That's what I said!"

 _Yeah? And did you say that before or after you kissed me against the kitchen counter?_ Rian very much does not say. He rolls his eyes.

"Why are you guys still surprised when I haven't seen Classic Movie #551?"

"It's not just any classic," Lisa says, affronted. "It's. It's _the_ movie. How many times have we watched that, like five?"

"You need a hobby," Rian tells her.

"Honey," Lisa says to him. "For your own good, I need you to watch this movie. You're not a Gaskarth unless you've seen it. Even if you hate it, you'll like Cosmo. He's a riot."

Alex grins, triumphant. "That's _exactly_ what I said."

Rian wonders if there's an adage about spouses who start to sound like each other, because every day Alex and Lisa become more AlexandLisa than ever. "I don't—"

"It's two against one," Alex points out. 

"Yeah," Lisa says innocently. "Two against one, Ri."

"Fuck you both," Rian says. Alex just grabs his face and smacks a loud, showy kiss on his cheek.

"He said yes!" he cheers, though Rian has said nothing of the sort. Even though he knows he's going to. They all know. Rian's held out this long on _Star Wars_ , which means he's not allowed to be this stubborn about anything else. Eventually, Alex will repay him in the form of listening to some album or something, but even if he didn't, Rian would still concede. It's just a movie. Worst case scenario, he hates it, and he's still spent two hours with Alex. Either way, no great loss.

"Wait a minute," he says belatedly. "I thought you already inducted me into the Gaskarth clan."

"Membership suspended until you've seen _Singin' in the Rain_ ," Alex says.

Lisa frowns. "That's a little harsh."

" _Agreed,_ " Rian says emphatically.

Alex sighs. "Fine, we can keep him."

"I'm not your pet."

"Aren't you?"

In a display of Herculean self-control, Rian does not rise to this bait. "Thank you," he says to Lisa. "At least someone's got my back around here."

"Always," Lisa says, giving him another one of those warm, syrupy smiles. "Alright, boys, I gotta go walk the dogs, Baz is getting antsy. Rian, take care of my man."

"Yes ma'am."

"And Alex," Lisa adds, "take care of your man."

"Of course," Alex says. "Wait, put Baz on." Lisa crouches down and coaxes Baz into her arms. "Hey, buddy," Alex says seriously. "Take care of your mom, alright? Don't let her stay up all night rewatching _Schitt’s Creek._ "

"I promise not to do that. Again." Lisa grins. "Love you, babe."

"Love you," Alex says, smiling warmly.

"Talk to you later, Lis," Rian says, waving until the call disconnects. He turns to Alex. "She did call me _your_ man, right? I didn't imagine that?"

"How could you have imagined it, Mr. I-Have-No-Imagination?" Rian hits him. "Yeah, well, so what? You're my man."

"Uh," Rian says. "Am I?"

Alex squints at him. "...Do you not want to be?"

"What does being 'your man' entail, exactly?" More kissing like they did in the kitchen, maybe? Or more likely:

"Watching _Singin' in the Rain_ with me, for starters," Alex says, in a brilliant display of predictability. 

Rian sighs. "You're impressively persistent when you want to be."

"Thank you," Alex says.

"I thought you would have forgotten about that conversation," Rian says. "Considering." Considering. Does it count as addressing it if he only hints at it? Will Alex take the bait? Does Rian even want him to? Shit, he shouldn't have said anything.

"Considering…" Alex raises an eyebrow.

Rian shakes his head. "Never mind."

"Hey, are we stopping for gas soon?" Alex gets to his feet, using Rian's head to balance himself on the unsteady bus floor. "I would kill a man for Doritos."

"I don't know," Rian says. "But if we do stop, and you're already going in for snacks, will you get me some Cheetos?"

"Maybe," Alex says haughtily. "We'll see how I'm feeling when we stop."

"I'm going to watch a whole entire movie for you," Rian says. "Movie _musical._ The least you could do is get me some snacks."

"Fine. That is a fair point." Alex leans down and steals a chaste kiss from Rian. It's a familiar action. So is the fond smile that stretches over Alex's face afterwards. It looks remarkably like Lisa's smile, Rian realizes. Or maybe they just experience happiness the same way. Whatever the case, Rian also smiles in the face of it. "Gonna go ask if we're stopping."

"You do that." Rian stands as well and ambles towards the back lounge as Alex heads for the front. He puts on headphones and shuffles his Spotify library, but he ends up playing through _American Candy_ , wondering whether he’ll ever actually figure out where the limit lies with his and Alex’s relationship, if a limit even exists. Or if Alex will just keep walking through doors as long as Rian opens them. For every one Rian cautiously unlocks, Alex is there to violently kick down the next. They’re doing a lot of damage to figurative doors.

It makes Rian curious: if he stops opening doors, will Alex stop, too?

* * *

Alex doesn’t stop.

In complete fairness, neither does Rian. Besides the fact that it’d be weird to stop, there’s also really no reason to. Their _thing_ is that they kiss all the time. So like. Rian’s used to it. The same way he greets Ricky with a weird bro-handshake, for Alex it’s a kiss. No big deal. 

They don’t make out in the tour bus kitchen again (to Rian’s chagrin). To an outsider, everything is exactly the same. Only Rian can feel the difference; it’s a subtle difference, but it’s definitely there. The way Alex lingers, a second longer than he would before, and the way his steadying hand on Rian’s face is so much gentler than it used to be. Where before the kiss seemed almost to be a challenge — if not a joke — now it’s just…sweet. 

If the line existed between a friendly kiss and a more-than-friendly kiss, Rian is starting to think he’s just stepped over it.

The more obvious change lies in how often they kiss. Which is: increasingly often. Alex kisses him before every show. Also after. Even in interviews sometimes, although Rian’s pretty sure those get edited out. It seems like he basically kisses Rian whenever it strikes his fancy. Rian returns this favor, because, like, he wants to kiss Alex and it’s their _thing_ and it’s nice to have someone to kiss goodnight, at any rate. Or good morning. Or over coffee. Or. Just lounging around.

For the most part, Rian tries to make like Alex and roll with it. But after a certain point, he has to admit he’s failing. Externally he’s totally cool, but he hasn’t stopped thinking about that kiss in the kitchen since it happened, and now every time Alex’s lips are on his Rian grows more tempted to slam him against the nearest wall every time and less convinced that Alex would push him away.

Finally he decides it’s time to consult with the resident expert on kissing Alex.

“Alex has been kissing me a lot,” he tells Lisa. “Should I be concerned? Do you think he just misses you more than usual?”

“Alex is always kissing you a lot,” Lisa says. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“More than usual,” Rian insists. “And also _more_ than usual.” He makes a face. “If you catch my drift.”

Lisa laughs. Even through FaceTime, her crystal-clear laugh is music to Rian’s ears. “So what’s the problem?”

There it is. The million-dollar question. What _is_ the problem? “I don’t know,” Rian says truthfully. “There’s not one. I’m just confused, I guess?”

“About what?”

Rian flounders. He resigns to the fact that if he’s looking for someone to assess and explain Alex’s behavior, there’s no better person to ask than his actual wife. “About…why?” He pushes a hand through his hair. “I mean, like…I thought we were just friends who kinda. Kissed whenever. As a joke. But, uh, it doesn’t really feel like friends anymore. Or…a joke. Either that or I have not been kissing my other friends nearly enough.” 

Maybe he chooses to omit the very relevant fact that he had, in fact, started it. After all, it had been Rian, not Alex, who’d held that first kiss a little too long. Rian who’d pulled Alex closer in the tour bus kitchen. But Alex had kissed him back both times, so maybe Rian started it but Alex is continuing it, and that’s what matters.

Lisa gives him a bemused look. “You’re telling me that you and Alex have been acting like boyfriends for years and you’re only now starting to question his intentions?”

Which, well, when she puts it like that it sounds absurd. “But that’s the thing,” Rian says, settling further into the pillows of his hotel room bed. “It’s always just been lighthearted. I mean, he has you.”

“And?” Lisa raises an eyebrow. “We’re not monogamous, Ri. You know that.”

Rian knows that in _theory,_ but in practice he can’t see why they wouldn’t be. They’re the perfect couple. Lisa’s the perfect woman and Alex is the perfect man. If Rian were married to either one of them, he can’t imagine he’d ever want for anything else. Or any _one_ else. 

“Are you trying to say Alex is…” Rian’s frowns skeptically. “Flirting with me? Likes me? _Me?_ ”

“You’re only just realizing that now?”

“I’m not realizing it,” Rian says. “Because I don’t believe it. Be realistic.”

“Oh, Ri, let’s not throw stones,” Lisa says loftily. “I’m not the one having trouble being real. Rian. He has been _kissing you_ on the _mouth_ since _two thousand and three._ Why is this a surprise?”

“But,” Rian says weakly, and his protest dies on his tongue. What the fuck is he supposed to say? _I thought that was just a thing homies did_?

“You called to ask if I could explain why Alex has been behaving the way he has,” Lisa says. “There’s your explanation. Take it or leave it.”

“Maybe I called just to catch up.”

Lisa snorts. “Okay, sure. What’s new, Ri? Kissed any cute guys lately?”

“Fuck off,” Rian huffs, rolling his eyes as a grin steals across his face. “Don’t let Alex dominate a conversation when he’s not even here. Seriously, talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in Lisa Land. I wanna know.”

“Oh, you know,” Lisa says, sighing melodramatically. “I just lie around all day, waiting for my husband to return. Lead my lonely spinster’s life.” Rian laughs at the solemn look on her face. “Don’t tell him, but I did, in fact, stay up very late watching _Schitt’s Creek_ last night.”

“Secret’s safe with me,” Rian promises. “What season?”

“Well, I finished season one and am now halfway through two,” Lisa admits. “But if anyone asks, I’m culturing the boys. If I’m not careful, Peyton will become a trashy reality show bitch, and we can’t have that.”

“Of course not.”

“This is for the greater good,” Lisa says, laughing. Everything makes Lisa laugh, and her laugh spreads like wildfire. Rian laughs, too. He’s particularly susceptible to the Gaskarth laugh, regardless of which Gaskarth it is.

Having navigated successfully away from the topic of Alex, Rian allows Lisa to catch him up on the latest farm drama (apparently the chickens have begun feuding, something Lisa had not been warned about when they had decided to become chicken parents). She tells him about the wedding she’s planning, fielding Rian’s slew of questions on how she can tell which colors will match, and before Rian knows it he’s getting a notification that he’s on 20% battery.

Naturally, Alex times his appearance perfectly.

“Hey,” he says, stepping into the room. The door clicks shut behind him and he kicks off his shoes. “Who you talkin’ to?”

“Is that Alex?” Lisa asks. Rian flips his camera onto Alex, who looks surprised.

“Is that Lisa?”

They could not possibly be more married if they tried.

“Are you defecting, babe?” Alex says in mock-accusation as he jumps onto Rian’s bed. Rian flips the camera back around, moving his arm so he can get both of their faces in the frame. “I don’t blame you. I’d leave you for this hunk in a heartbeat.”

Lisa gives Rian a significant look, which Rian ignores. Maturely. “We were just catching up,” Lisa says. “Where were you?”

“Promo,” Alex sing-songs. “Jack and I had an interview with…” He frowns. “Pretend I haven’t already forgotten who it was with.”

“You make us look so bad,” Rian tells him. 

Alex sticks his tongue out. He leans his head on Rian’s shoulder and says, “Well, I don’t want to interrupt your super secret fan club meeting,” which is definitely more accurate than it has any business being. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“That’s okay, my phone’s dying anyway,” Rian says. 

“I should probably figure out dinner,” Lisa sighs. “Al, you know those dinosaur chicken nuggets in the freezer?”

“Take them,” Alex says. “Eat them. Feast like a queen.”

Lisa grins. “I’ll stock up when you come home.”

“That’s why I love you,” Alex says airily. “I’d kiss you if I could, babe. Here, this is for you.” And he presses his lips to the corner of Rian’s mouth.

Rian keeps a straight face, like the mature grown-up man that he is. Lisa, who is clearly neither mature nor a grown-up, raises her eyebrows at Rian, even more significantly than before. “Message received,” she says, touching two fingers to the edge of her own mouth and smiling. “Rian, give him a kiss for me, would you?”

“I’m not your kiss messenger,” Rian says. 

“C’mon, Ri, don’t be like that,” Alex says, pouting. Rian is surrounded by children. Literal children.

With an almighty sigh, he rolls his head until he can meet Alex’s lips and kisses him softly. “Happy?” he huffs, directed first at Alex and then, more meaningfully, at Lisa, who smirks.

“Thank you,” she says innocently. “Love you both. Talk to you later.”

“Call you tomorrow, Lisa,” Alex says. “Love you.”

“Love you,” Rian adds, unnecessarily. The last they see of Lisa is her blinding grin before the call ends.

“Hey, you wanna watch a movie tonight?” Alex asks, clapping his hand on Rian’s knee. “After I shower, I mean?”

They don’t have a show tonight, but they’ve been doing promo all day. Rian and Zack had been cleared earlier — Alex and Jack are always the ones in demand for interviews — hence Rian’s free time in the hotel. He’d kind of hoped to turn in early for once, but, he supposes, it’s not too late yet, still only dinnertime. “If it’s _Singin’ in—_ ”

“Come _on,_ Rian, you said you would watch it,” Alex wheedles. “Are you gonna go back on your word now? What kind of a man are you? Your mother would be ashamed.”

“Hey, back off about my mother, buddy,” Rian says. Alex snickers. 

A musical does not sound appealing to Rian, but it’s not the worst Alex has. He could have asked to watch _Star Wars_ for the five millionth time. He could’ve insisted on one of those Marvel superhero movies. And Rian _had_ promised he would watch this, so he might as well get it over with sooner rather than later.

“Fine,” he concedes. Alex whoops victoriously. “I assume that means you wanna order dinner?”

“Yup,” Alex says, popping the P. “I’ll shower, you get dinner, we’ll watch when the food gets here, how about that?”

“The food will get here before you finish your shower, dumbass,” Rian says, shaking his head. “The food is _in the hotel._ That’s the beauty of room service.”

“Is that a challenge?” It is not, but trust Alex to take it as one. “Alex versus room service. See who’s ready first.”

“Okay,” Rian says, rolling his eyes. He doesn’t bother asking for Alex’s order before Alex shuts himself in the bathroom. In Alex Gaskarth trivia, Rian always has the answers — and that includes his room service order.

Of course Rian orders them wine. He’s not a barbarian.

Alex beats room service by a narrow margin, but only because he has to come out of the bathroom to get dressed. The food arrives while he’s pulling on sweatpants, so Rian feels like they can safely count it as a tie. Out of a sense of self-preservation, he doesn’t argue when Alex declares himself the winner. 

They eat before putting the movie on, downing half the bottle of wine between them. Alex instructs Rian, as “most technologically experienced,” to plug the computer with the movie pulled up into the TV. This reveals a flaw in their plan in the form of neither of them being in possession of an HDMI cable, which further delays their movie night. Alex has to run to Jack and Zack’s room to steal Jack’s HDMI cable, but finally they get Alex’s laptop screen onto the TV, and Alex hits play on the movie. 

The opening credits are a million years long. Alex immediately curls into Rian’s right side, knees drawn up and resting against Rian’s thigh. The bed is narrow enough that he’ll be able to reach the bottle of wine on the side table, which Rian has given him permission to finish. Comfortably tipsy is about as drunk as Rian’s willing to get. He doesn’t exactly trust himself in present company.

“I’m so fucking excited,” Alex whispers, startling Rian. “Remember to keep an open mind. You might love it.”

Rian sincerely doubts it. “Okay,” he whispers back. “Are you gonna fall asleep?” 

“I would never,” Alex says, affronted. “This is one of my favorite movies. You’ll be lucky if I stay quiet for the whole thing.”

“Talk all you want,” Rian says dryly. “I won’t miss a thing with the captions.”

“Oh my God, shut the fuck up about the captions,” Alex says, in a tone of voice that basically embodies the eyeroll. “Better to have to read the movie than to be lost.”

“This is why I don’t fucking watch movies with you.”

“Stop talking, it’s starting, things are happening, pay attention!”

With this final reprimand, Alex straightens up a little, drapes an arm loosely over his knees, laces his fingers with Rian’s, and falls silent.

This is normal. This is fine. Rian finds himself reading the captions because Alex has distracted him from the first scene. _Pull it together,_ he tells himself, and resolves not to be lame and distractible for the rest of the film.

He does like Cosmo. In fact, most of his enjoyment of the movie comes from laughing at Cosmo’s hilarious one-liners. It is abundantly clear why Alex and Lisa had been convinced Rian would appreciate this character. They basically share the same sense of humor. Cosmo’s just funnier about it.

Although when Kathy kisses Don and then Cosmo in succession, Rian feels a certain kinship with her. He’d basically just done the exact thing, playing kiss-tag for his married friends. Except that would imply that Don and Cosmo are together. Which they’re not. At least Rian’s pretty sure they’re not. He’s pretty sure they’re supposed to be old friends in this movie, not lovers. And _certainly_ not Alex-and-Lisa type lovers.

Besides, Alex and Lisa can’t be Don and Cosmo. Sure, Don and Cosmo have known each other a long time, as have Alex and Lisa, but clearly Rian is the Cosmo, if anyone is. He’s the comic relief. He’s the one who gets kissed to make the audience laugh, not because any Kathy is in love with him. Or any Don. Or anyone at all.

(That’s not what Lisa would say. Lisa would say, “Your Don is right here, you idiot, and it’s no wonder you can’t tell he has feelings for you if you’re watching this thinking Don and Cosmo are just friends.” The Lisa in Rian’s head is scarily accurate. But she’s not here, so she can’t say that. Rian continues to ignore her.)

Anyway, in this bizarre analogy, if Rian is Cosmo, doesn’t that mean _Alex_ is Kathy? Rian’s never kissed Lisa. He doesn’t exactly intend to. Alex and Kathy are both intense and, like. Feisty? Whereas Lisa’s a lot more lighthearted anyway, which would make her a more realistic Don. Except _not,_ because Alex is also a lead singer in every sense of the word, and what’s more Lead Singer than being the star of every picture? Jack could be Lina, Rian thinks wryly, the pair of them playing it up and putting on a show for the so-called rags. What are now known as _gossip columns_.

Also. It is possible that he is greatly overthinking this. None of them are any of these characters, because this is a fucking 50s movie musical, for fuck’s sake, not Straight To DVD 3. 

He attempts to refocus. In typical fashion, Alex has maneuvered them into his preferred arrangement, with Rian situated halfway on top of him and Alex’s arm slung across Rian’s shoulders. Rian’s long since stopped complaining about being settled like this. Alex is the kind of person who lies on the floor and requests that someone stand on his back. He’s a weird guy. If being crushed under Rian’s weight is cuddling to him, then Rian’s happy to oblige.

“You know, Gene Kelly was sick when they filmed this scene,” Alex informs Rian in a hushed voice as, at long last, Don Lockwood begins to sing and dance in the rain the way the movie title promises. True to his word, Alex has been mostly quiet for the duration, although having his face so close to Rian’s ear means nothing has escaped Rian’s notice. He doesn’t really mind it; at least when Alex hums along to the music, he’s in key, and the captions have kept them from missing any lines drowned out by laughter.

“Impressive,” Rian responds. Alex shushes him. The fingers of his left hand begin to tap out the syncopated rhythm of the music onto Rian’s arm, and his other hand splays over Rian’s thigh. Rian would blame the wine for how handsy Alex is being, but even he can’t kid himself that much. Neither of them have bothered to reach for the bottle since they put on the movie. Its effects will have all but faded by now.

Not that Rian’s necessarily complaining.

This falls under the category of New Alex Behaviors. Post-Kitchen-Kiss Behavior. Or, as Lisa would suggest, Potentially Flirty Behavior (???). Rian usually tries to be objective, but there’s a slight chance he’s held out in this particular case. In his defense, he hadn’t wanted wishful thinking to cloud his judgement. 

Now, with Alex tenderly pressing his lips to Rian’s shoulder, Rian thinks it might be time to be a little more objective. If this was anyone else — _anyone_ else — they’d be well past the flirting stage. This is beyond flirting. This is relationship behavior.

They’re _not_ in a relationship, but — ( _you and Alex have been acting like boyfriends for years_ ). 

But.

Maybe they should be?

“I thought this was one of your favorite movies?” Rian says quietly, careful not to move. There’s also a very real possibility that he _can’t_ move because Alex is touching him in so many places and the weight of potential is pinning Rian down in a way it’s never done before. “What happened to that?”

“It is,” Alex agrees, momentarily resting his chin just above Rian’s collarbone. “But if I’ve already got you here…”

He resumes his task of, apparently, covering Rian in fleeting kisses from the shoulders up.

Rian revisits his scientific question. Maybe, okay, _maybe_ friends can kiss all the time like it’s nothing. Maybe they can even make out in a tour bus kitchen one time and move past it. But this? _This?_

Also, _holy shit,_ the person Alex is treating like a boyfriend is _him, Rian Dawson._ And Rian’s not reciprocating. Fuck.

“Do you like it, though?” 

For a split second, Rian forgets about the movie and is prepared to say yes all the same. _Yes, I do like it when you distract me from cheesy movie musicals by any means necessary. Specifically ones involving your lips on me._

“The movie?”

Alex pauses. “Duh, the movie.”

Rian’s all set to internalize his snarky comeback when he stops and rethinks. He could keep it to himself. He could let Alex keep doing his thing, wait him out to see what his goal is.

Or he could take matters into his own hands a little bit. Jump off a cliff and hope he lands in the water.

“It’s a little hard to pay attention when you’re all over me like this,” he exhales, and he’s free falling.

A quiet laugh escapes Alex. “In a good way, or a bad way?”

“Depends how much you want me to enjoy the movie,” says Rian. Again, Alex laughs.

“You mean this isn’t enhancing your experience?” he murmurs, trailing feather-light kisses from Rian's shoulder to his throat and jaw. His palm curls around Rian's bicep.

“That’s not what I said,” Rian says. “I just meant you’re being distracting.” He swallows. “ _And_ a tease.”

Alex's breath is warm on Rian's face. His words buzz across Rian’s skin. "And what are you gonna do about it?"

Rian turns his head, breaking away from Alex, but Alex doesn't seem upset. He can probably read Rian's expression. He's always been the best at that. It must be obvious that Rian means to kiss him; Alex doesn't seem surprised when he does.

As usual, he just responds in kind.

The hand around Rian's left arm unfurls and skims across Rian's back, coming to rest on his right shoulder. Alex's touch is so light, and his newly clean-shaven face is soft under Rian's fingertips.

Kissing him feels like the most natural thing in the world. No wonder they're always doing it. It would defy the laws of nature not to.

Equal parts emboldened by Alex’s immediate response and determined not to be outdone again, Rian tightens his hold around the nape of Alex’s neck, thumb sweeping the curve of his jaw. This time he deepens the kiss before Alex can beat him to it, opening his mouth to Alex’s and sliding his tongue over Alex’s lower lip. He might be a touch eager, but it’s hard not to be. It’s like a dam has broken, and Rian is flooded with feeling, thrumming with anticipation.

Jesus Christ. They’ve spent years as boyfriends in all but the name. If this is their first _real_ kiss, Rian intends to make it memorable.

Over the sound of the movie still playing in the background, Rian almost misses the sound Alex makes. Then he makes it again, a low hum in the back of the throat. _That’s_ a first. Hopefully the first of many.

Alex isn’t being so gentle anymore. Warm hands snake around Rian’s neck, a grip tight enough it threatens to leave a bruise. Maybe this is the stuff of Rian’s dreams. If it wasn’t before, it definitely will be now. Occasionally Rian forgets that Alex’s not the scrawny kid he was in 2006. And then he slides a hand down Alex’s arm and there’s all this taut muscle, and. Oh yeah. 

Alex barely moves away, and when he speaks it’s directly against Rian’s mouth. “Is this you finally taking the hint?”

Rian inhales in an effort to regain his composure. “What? Yes. I think so. What hint?”

Alex laughs breathlessly. “Dealer’s choice. I’ve given you so many.”

“Oh, you mean the hint where instead of outright telling me how you felt, you decided to start playing a kissing game with me that would outlast My Chemical Romance?” Rian skates the pad of his thumb over Alex’s cheek. “Or the one where you were so into me that you married someone else?”

“Fuck off,” Alex says, grinning. “How about the one where I’ve been flirting with you every single day of my life since we met?”

Rian rolls his eyes, leaning his forehead against Alex’s. His _eyes._ People’s eyes should not be that entrancing. Especially not brown eyes. Rian is fucked. What a surprise. “I admit it took me a minute. And some outside interference. And some scientific meddling.”

“Scientific _meddling?_ ”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m worrying,” Alex tells him, very fondly. “Were you conducting experiments on me?”

“No!” Yes. A little.

“Doing weird shit to me while I slept?” Alex teases, then captures Rian’s lips in his own as smoothly as if they’d never broken apart. A contented sigh escapes Rian. He keeps his loose hold on Alex’s bicep — look, anyone with access to Alex Gaskarth’s arms would do the same — and soaks up the knowledge that starting now, every kiss can last as long as he wants it to. 

Eventually Alex pulls away again. “I’m still concerned about the scientific meddling,” he murmurs, “but we can talk about it another time.”

Rian chuckles. “Whatever you want.”

“Oh, _whatever_ I want?” Alex raises an eyebrow. Cocks his head. It’s a little hot. (It’s very hot. See: fucked, comma, Rian.)

“You want to turn off the movie?” Rian jerks his chin towards the TV. “Be my guest.”

“No,” Alex says, wrinkling his nose at Rian’s smug expression. “Nice try, babe. You’re going to finish this movie if I have to tie you down.”

Rian refuses to take this bait, mostly because he can tell it’s what Alex wants. “No tying down necessary,” he says, smiling nonchalantly. “I’m here of my own volition.”

“Those things aren’t mutually exclusive,” Alex counters with a saccharine smile. 

Rian decides to let him have this one. He’s not sure his heart can race any faster without killing him.

“Movie first,” he says. “Also, what-are-we conversation first. And you have to tell Lisa.” _And then you can do all the tying down you want,_ he doesn’t add, confident that Alex can hear it anyway.

Alex snorts, but he moves away from Rian to settle back against the pillows. “Uh, _you_ tell Lisa. I think you’ve earned that slice of humble pie."

Which, unfortunately, is fair enough. “Fine,” he grumbles, leaning into Alex the way they’d been lying before. “Tomorrow.”

“Oh, for sure,” Alex says. His nails scratch lightly against Rian’s scalp. “We’re finishing this movie and going the fuck to sleep.”

“Man after my own heart,” Rian says. His tone is joking but he is very much not.

A wry smile colors Alex’s voice. “You sure put me through the wringer, Ri. I’ve been after your heart since high school.”

 _You took your sweet time letting me know,_ Rian thinks, pretending his heartbeat hasn’t reached life-threatening rates at the casual admission. “Hey, at last you can stop suffering and write that symphony,” he says.

Alex sort of choke-laughs. “Man after _my_ own heart.”

Because what is a relationship if not two men, each eternally chasing the other’s heart? Or something romantic like that.

Rian goes to reply, not that he has anything to say; he’s mostly just having fun with all this shameless flirting, but Alex shushes him again. “Enough,” he whispers. “Movie time now.”

Rian enjoys the ending of the movie significantly more than he’d enjoyed the first three-quarters, although if anyone were to ask, he wouldn’t be able to report a single thing that transpired.

***

Rian finds Alex reading the label on a shampoo bottle. Careful not to disrupt what is clearly an enlightening literary experience, he approaches and wraps Alex in a hug from behind, leaning in to kiss the dark ink of the skull tattoo behind his ear. Alex doesn’t seem surprised.

“Hi,” he says warmly. “Find a good card?”

“Yup.” Rian holds the greeting card before Alex’s face so he can see the front.

Alex reads aloud, “‘To the man who has my heart.’ I thought that was me!” 

“Shut up,” Rian says, opening the card and allowing Alex to read the inside. 

“‘Every day you show me just how strong, understanding, and giving you are. I’m so happy to be spending life loving you. Happy Valentine's’— I thought this was a birthday card for Ricky!”

“It is, it is,” Rian says. “I’m gonna cross out ‘loving’ and write ‘touring with’ and then change ‘Valentine’s Day’ to ‘birthday.’ It’ll be perfect, you’ll see.”

Alex laughs. “Okay. I love that. That’s great.” Abruptly sobering up, he adds, “But for real though, if you don’t get me a card like this for Valentine’s Day, we’re done.”

“Stop thinking about Valentine’s Day, that’s not for months.”

“I’m just _saying,_ if you get Ricky a Valentine’s Day card and not me, we’re gonna have problems.”

“Just for that, I’m not getting you a Valentine’s Day card.”

Alex huffs. “Fine. Lisa will get me one.” He sticks his tongue out, making a _nyeh nyeh_ taunting sound. Rian mimics it like the adult that he is. 

“What are you doing?” After another delicate kiss — yes, again to the tattoo, which Rian has officially named his second-favorite place to kiss Alex — Rian detaches himself and takes the bottle out of Alex’s hands.

“Trying to find shampoo that works on dyed hair,” Alex says. “It’s been a couple years, I can’t remember which one I used to use.”

“You’re gonna dye your hair again?”

Alex shrugs. “I dunno, maybe? But I might as well be prepared.”

“In case you somehow magically wake up with dyed hair with no warning whatsoever?” Rian says dryly.

Alex gives him a haughty look. “ _Yes,_ Rian, in that case, I would like to be ready.” He takes the shampoo bottle from Rian and drops it into the basket at their feet along with Rian's card. “And I’ll thank you not to be a lil’ bitch about it.”

“Note taken,” Rian says. “I’ll pass it on to the director. Gotta warn you, though, he’s pretty dead-set on me being a lil’ bitch.”

“You being a lil’ bitch?” Alex snorts. “I hate this director. First you get a hella romantic card for _Ricky_ , not me, and now you’re being a lil’ bitch? Can we cut?”

“Is that a _cut_?” It’s Jack, of course, appearing entirely out of nowhere. He barrels towards Rian and Rian accepts the violent hug attack with as much grace as he can manage. Jack seems to take this as an invitation. “Catch me, Rian, catch me.”

“I don’t —” It’s too late; Jack jumps into the air and Rian has no choice but to catch him. “I stand corrected,” he grunts. “Damn, JB, a little warning next time?”

“I gave you a warning,” Jack says, straight-faced. “I said ‘catch me.’”

“He gave you a warning,” Alex echoes, nodding solemnly. 

“Alright,” Rian says, making a face at Alex. “Let’s keep it moving. Where’s Zack?”

“I abandoned him in the snacks aisle,” Jack says. “Which on second thought was a terrible idea.”

“Among your worst,” Alex agrees. “To the snack aisle!”

“I am not carrying you to the snack aisle,” Rian says. There’s a pause. Nobody speaks. Rian sighs. “Fine. But then you have to walk.”

“See, Ri, it’s good practice for if you ever want kids,” Alex says encouragingly as they make their way to the end of the aisle. “Can only go up from here.”

“Hey!” Jack protests. “That’s rude. Mommy, Daddy’s being rude.”

“You think between me and Alex, _I’m_ the mom?” Rian laughs. “Really?”

“That’s true, Alex is a way better gossip than you,” Jack says thoughtfully. 

“And I would make a great housewife,” Alex says. “Meanwhile Rian can be the one fixing our car. Or whatever.”

“I don’t know how to fix a car,” Rian says for the hundred thousandth time. “Electrical engineering is completely different from —”

“Look, it all comes down to this,” Jack interrupts, waving an arm and almost unbalancing him and Rian both. “Which of you is going to kill the spiders?”

“How does that have anything to do with anything?” Alex demands. “My mom always killed the spiders.”

“Yeah, but it’s about the vibes, Alex,” Jack says. “It’s Dad Vibes to kill the spiders.”

“That would mean that you’re the dad between you and Zack,” Rian observes. “Since he’s anti-killing spiders.” 

“Because he’s insane,” Alex mutters under his breath.

“I don’t kill the spiders either!” Jack says, indignant that Rian would ever suggest such a thing. “I’ll have you know that Zack and I are both the moms.”

“Well then Alex and I can be the dads, and it balances out.”

They’re all quiet for a moment. “That sounds fair,” Alex finally says as they reach the first snack aisle.

“Alright, buddy, down you go,” Rian says, setting Jack unceremoniously onto the ground. “First ride free, next one’ll cost ya.”

Jack smirks. “Seriously, if I pay you, will you carry me around the store?”

“Nope,” Rian says, smiling cheekily and patting Jack’s face. “You have your own big strong boyfriend for that.”

“I like to mix it up! Get a little variety.”

Zack materializes, holding a box of sugary cereal in one hand and a bag of highly unappealing healthy chips in the other. “I wondered where you went off to,” he says. “Hey.”

“You’re getting —” Alex grabs the cereal out of his hand. “Lucky Charms? Is this character development?”

“They’re not for me,” Zack says, shaking his head like the very notion is preposterous. “Jack, you like this one, right?”

“Hell yeah I do,” Jack says, grinning. He turns to Alex. “Never mind. Keep your boyfriend. I don’t want him.”

“What?” Zack says, as Alex goes, “He wasn’t up for grabs!” and Rian adds, “What, you think I wouldn’t buy you cereal?”

“Paws off my man,” Alex says, sliding an arm around Rian’s waist. “You want this hottie with a body, you gotta go through me.”

There’s a fight Rian would like to see. Jack vs. Alex, winner takes all. “How about we all keep our boyfriends,” he suggests, closing in on Alex to kiss him once on the mouth. “Does that sound okay?”

“That’s what I said,” Alex says, disgruntled. He kisses Rian again. “Yes. That’s a good plan. Let’s go with that plan.”

“Did I miss something?” Zack wonders, and Jack pats him on the chest.

“Nope,” he says sweetly. “Business as usual.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for takin a chance on this <3 i know it's a Little unusual (i think maybe possibly i'm the first person to use the rian & lisa tag????) but !!!! i like it a lot. and i hope you did too! feel free to leave a comment if you did, they make me smile :)
> 
> omg also one more thing: the card for ricky is a real card if anyone was wondering it's [here](https://www.target.com/p/34-man-who-has-my-heart-34-valentine-39-s-day-card-with-foil/-/A-79373237#lnk=sametab) lol
> 
> alright that's it i'm on tumblr [@clumsyclifford](http://clumsyclifford.tumblr.com/) if you wanna say hi or talk rilex or rilisex (that's what i've been calling this) or like........whatever you want! bye


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